Potter's Preview - Round 5 v Manly

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Wests Tigers Head Coach Mick Potter has revealed two key inclusions exclusively to Members ahead of Sunday’s blockbuster against Manly-Warringah at Leichhardt Oval.

Potter’s side will be bolstered by the return of Tim Simona and Liam Fulton who missed last weekend’s match against the Warriors with concussion.

It was Fulton’s second game out with concussion and his return will be valuable against the highflying Sea Eagles.

“Liam does a lot of work and things that go unnoticed, such as kick pressure and cleaning up around the ruck,” Potter said. “He is very tight defensively and has got a lot of talk which is really important for us.”

Simona missed the opening two matches of the season after recovering from shoulder surgery however turned in a stellar performance in Round 3 against South Sydney, scoring two tries.

“I thought Tim (Simona) had a really good game when he came back, he was unfortunate to cop a bit of a knock.

“He is right to go this week and I’m looking to slide him in there somewhere.

“Last week against New Zealand was unfortunate with injuries but that’s the nature of the game, we just couldn’t cope with the amount of changes we had to make.

“We need to add a little bit of versatility to the side and Tim can cover a number of positions and has great speed.”

Both players will be named in the side to play the Sea Eagles, who currently sit third on the Telstra Premiership ladder after an impressive 8-0 victory over defending premiers Sydney Roosters.

“Manly shut the Roosters out and their defence is going to be hard to break down,” Potter said. “Attacking wise we need to be on top of our game.”

“They’ve had more shots than anyone else in the league at width plays on opponents and they break them down very well, so we will certainly need to be at our best in the middle and on the edges.”

Stay tuned for the full team announcement to face Manly later this afternoon on weststigers.com.au